Inflammation is important in chronic lung disease

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study shows that a marker of inflammation is informative in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Research has suggested that inflammation is important in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disorder in which destruction of lung tissue leads to increasing breathlessness and disability.  C-reactive protein (CRP) is being used, increasingly, as a marker for inflammation and a team in Tenerife, Spain, and American colleagues now report on a study of CRP in a group of 130 patients with COPD.

They found that CRP levels were higher in patients than in healthy controls. They also correlated significantly with lung functioning and six-minute walking distance. In short, the researchers believe CRP is a significant prognosis indicator for patients with CRP. The good news is that systemic or inhaled steroids have been found to reduce CRP levels.

Source
European Respiratory Journal May 2006